Tell the truth - when was the last time that you gave any thought to your pet's dental health or brushed their teeth? If it has been a while, you're not alone. When it comes to pet health, dental health often gets overlooked - not this month, though! February is Pet Dental Health Month, so now is the time to talk about the importance of proper dental care for our four-legged kids, and I spoke to a few Vet's to get some opinions after I chose to do anesthesia free cleaning (which I will not do again).

You might have heard about anesthesia free dental cleanings from a local groomer, pet store (which I did), word of mouth or even some veterinary providers. Commonly known as anesthesia free dental cleanings, the practice involves scaling (scraping with an instrument) of a dog or cat's teeth without putting the pet under anesthesia. I thought-this is for my Josie as why does she really need to be put under. At the end of the anesthesia free dental procedure, the outside surfaces of her teeth appeared visibly whiter-and I even took before and after's. However, there is much more than meets the eye. Because Josie wasn't under anesthesia, there was no ability to clean beneath the gumline where the bacteria that causes periodontal disease occurs and causes bad breath and extensive damage to tooth roots and supporting bone structure. I also learned from my Vet that this truly causes problems later, and in many cases- more money in the long run. I let my fear of not the cost, but not wanting my dog to be put under make my decision-so for me personally-next time Josie will be going under as just like us-we need our teeth! If you have any questions, or want to talk to me-please just email me.

So-my Dog is my Valentine. Did you all see those shirts this year at (www.target.com & www.amazon.com )? I mean, who truly is the most loyal and loving family member? For many of us-like myself who does not have kids with two legs-my Josie is my kid. The past year with the passing of my Stepmom unexpectantly, and my Dad coming to stay-they truly do have a sixth sense. The love she gives all of us is, turns everyday at some point into a smile, and her fur friends on Instagram all do the cutest cards (Dog Grams) making me feel like I was back in grade school getting and I needed to participate.

Need some Valentine's Day gift ideas? Well, for the Fur DaD it;s easy-they can now do custom socks of your pet- check out //myphotosocks.com/ (I found they had the best price), and of course we can't forget our fur baby's... One of my favorite sites is //iheartdogs.com/ or //www.barkbox.com/ where you can even just buy a subscription for a few months and believe it or not-just ONLINE ONLY //www.jcpenney.com/g/pet-care/N-bwo3vD1nnuj8 has a ton of affordable options for gifts (YES-JCPENNEY sells great dog stuff). So, happy shopping and may you have a ton of belly rubs, licks, treats and spend some time being present with the family member who is always there to pick you up-even if you don't have a Valentine this year.

Be part of the solution-not part of the problem. Don't Shop-Adopt or Rescue when PAWsible!